More brain/robot chimeras

<!--intro--><a href="http://missingmatter.net">MissingMatter</a> pointed me to a BBC story on some additional <a HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1043000/1043001.stm">fusions of brain and circuitry</a>. This comes after the report of a <a HREF="http://www.exosci.com/article.php?story=20001115155137119">monkey controlling a robot arm</a> (over the internet, no less). This new story talks of the <a HREF="http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/wellcome-wing/splash_ie.html">public display</a> of a Lamprey brain that was wired to a robot and used to control movement. "This is trespassing on nature but ... it's worth it if it leads to new knowledge and better prosthetic limbs" is what Prof Sandro Mussa-Ivaldi had to say. While ultimately making a valid point, he really should try to sound less monstrous. The article also mentions a rat whose brain was wired to a mechanical water feeder which the rat learned to bring towards its mouth simply by willing it. Does <a HREF="http://www.wirednews.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html">Ludditism</a> sound appealing?<!--/intro-->